2 Birds With One Stone: Z and V

Some English consonants come in pairs and are formed identically. A good example is "s" and "z." These consonants are both formed by touching top and bottom teeth together.

What's the difference then?

The difference is whether the consonant is voiced (유음) or unvoiced (무음). Let's see how this works for S and Z, as well as for F and V.

S and Z

Koreans usually pronounce the "z" sound like a "j." For instance, you might see the word "zoo" and say "주," which would sound like "joo." To a native English speaker, this would not make sense.

To overcome this habit, try these steps:

• Pronounce the letter "s" for 3 seconds.
• After the first second, add your voice.
• Be sure that you don't add a "ㅈ."
• Be sure that you don't stop making the "s" sound when you add your voice.

If you did that right, you're making the "z" sound. Now experiment with words like zoo, cozy, and fuzz. Try them 20 times each per day until you can pronounce them perfectly.

F and V

Of course you need to be able to pronounce F before you can pronounce V. It's actually really simple. While exhaling, pull your bottom lip back until it touches your (top) teeth. Don't let it touch your top lip! Once you can say "fine fan" easily, you're ready to try V.

To pronounce the "v" sound, do the same exercise you did with S and Z:

• Pronounce the letter "f" for 3 seconds.
• After the first second, add your voice.
• Be sure that you don't add a "ㅍ" or a "ㅂ."
• Be sure that you don't stop making the "f" sound when you add your voice.

Now try saying "fine face" and "vine vase," making small adjustments until it's just right.

Bonus

If you're ambitious, you should know that "th" has an unvoiced sound (like in "think") and a voiced sound (like in "this").  If you can pronounce the word "think" correctly, then the exercises above will help you figure out how to pronounce "this."